March 2017 Elana Berger, BIC’s Social Inclusion and Accountability Manager, will testify before the Monetary Policy and Trade Subcommittee of the House Financial Services Committee this Wednesday at a hearing titled, “Examining Results and Accountability at the World Bank.” Elana’s testimony will focus on the Uganda Transport Sector Development Project (TSDP), which led to devastating …
The “skinny budget” released by the Trump administration yesterday proposed significant cuts to foreign assistance programs, including funding for the World Bank and other multilateral development banks (MDBs). While the budget indicates there is some support for continued U.S. participation in the MDBs, the result of the cuts will undoubtedly diminish the ability of the …
The Bank Information Center advocates for social, ecological and economic justice by amplifying local voices and democratizing international development finance. As an organization which works to protect the fundamental human rights of marginalized populations, including refugees, we condemn in the strongest possible terms the discriminatory Executive Order signed by President Trump to ban nationals from …
As we prepare to celebrate Human Rights Day on December 10th, we stand with dozens of other civil society groups around the world that are calling on development finance institutions, governments, and businesses to Stand up for Human Rights in Development On the 10th of December, Human Rights Day will be observed in honor of …
While the recent election has cast a shadow of uncertainty over the future role of the United States in multilateral organizations such as the World Bank, it is worth reflecting on the progress that has been made at this institution and across the development finance landscape because of the leadership of the United States. The …
Today, the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission announced that its co-chairs, Congressmen James P. McGovern and Joseph R. Pitts, have issued a statement urging the World Bank to incorporate robust protections for human rights into its social and environmental safeguards. The US Congressmen “strongly encourage” World Bank President Jim Kim to “heed the calls of …
If key changes are not made to the World Bank’s proposed new safeguards, the updated framework could prevent communities from meaningfully participating in the development process. U.S. law and longstanding World Bank practice have recognized for decades the importance of providing communities with enough time to understand and voice concern about potentially harmful projects. Procedural …
Yesterday, Congresswoman Maxine Waters and Congresswoman Gwen Moore of the US House Financial Services Committee sent a letter to U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew expressing “strong concern” about certain elements of the World Bank’s proposed labor policy. The Bank is in the final stages of updating its environmental and social safeguard policies, which will include …
As World Bank member governments gather in Myanmar to discuss their contributions to the International Development Association, the Bank’s fund for the poorest countries, the Bank Information Center is calling on donors to make the adoption of stronger safeguard policies a key objective in the replenishment negotiations. In support of this call, BIC has released …
International development finance is intended to alleviate poverty by sparking inclusive growth. But without strong protections for local communities, it can exclude and disenfranchise instead. World Bank development projects like dams, roads, and power plants can cause devastating harm to people and the planet. Too many have suffered displacement, loss of livelihoods, pollution, destruction of …